You Liar
by Airanke
Summary: Just gonna' stand there and watch me burn... Kojyuro, Kasuga and Kenshin.


I got inspired to do this from listening to "Love the way you lie" by Eminem feat. Rihanna. It was just the thought that popped into my head first "what if Kasuga lost the use of her legs?" and then I added Kojyuro and the Date army for good measure. This more or less turned into an experiment at attempting to write Kasuga and Kojyuro falling in love BUT keeping them in character, which was holy freaking difficult. In fact, I'm sure there will be a few parts where Kojyuro will come across as OOC, and possibly a few parts with Kasuga too.

Kojyuro is compared to a stag because I'm a rebel and hate the idea of him being compared to a rabbit. Simply because he is _not_ cute and he is _not_ cuddly. Nor is he sweet or openly kind - I mean _come on_ he almost killed himself just so Masamune would have a better idea of what "true loss" felt like. I don't think a kind and caring person would do that.

Well, this is a one-shot, and it's 28 pages long. One part is from Masamune's POV, no part is from Kojyuro's POV (I find it VERY difficult to write in Kojyuro's POV) and the rest is Kasuga's POV.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm supposed to update Countervail, not write another one-shot - _bite me._

**

* * *

You liar.**

The building she was in. It was on fire.

Angry raging yellow flames licked up the walls, slowly creeping towards her.

She needed to get out but she couldn't move. She could hardly feel her legs. It was so hot that her sweat evaporated before it could even appear on her skin.

_'... K-Kenshin-sama...' _Kasuga's first thought was about her lord, of course. She couldn't remember where she was –

Was that yelling she could hear outside? Something about someone named Matsunaga... that name triggered a memory, a fuzzy memory of a cruel grin and strong hands.

Several beams of the building collapsed, one almost hitting Kasuga's head. She surprised herself with her own scream of terror –_ 'I'm a kunoichi, I don't scream!'_

But perhaps she screamed because there were people outside or perhaps she screamed because she didn't want to die; maybe she wanted to be saved.

Faintly she heard someone yell "Kojyuro", and then the wall that Kasuga's feet were facing was charged through. She could barely see who the person was.

"Is there someone in here?" he yelled, voice so loud and commanding she thought he might cause the fire to retreat. She mustered up her voice.

_'I __–__ I can't speak... but I have to make some kind of noise,' _she managed a few hacking coughs. She listened as whoever the man was slashed through anything in his way. A rush of wind swept over her and she struggled to raise her head.

The man looked furious – she heard someone yell "Kojyuro, it's gonna' fall, get out of there". Kasuga stared at him, pleadingly,_ 'don't leave me here.'_

The man – Kojyuro, she guessed she could call him – sheathed his katana and bent down to grab her shoulders. He easily jerked her off the floor and slung her over his broad shoulder, turning on his heel and running back out the way he had come. He got outside before the building collapsed and as soon he was a far distance away he carefully set her down.

"Oi, oi, oi! Kojyuro, who's this?"

"I don't know, Masamune-sama," his gaze was scrutinizing as he looked her over. Her lips started shaking, _ 'I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe? I was breathing perfectly fine before!'_

She was surrounded by an army dressed predominantly in blue - _ 'I can't breathe' __–_and the man called Masamune was distracting her savior's attention.

Kasuga latched tightly onto Kojyuro's arm, making him snap his head in her direction. She moved her other hand to her chest, then her throat, and then she tried to speak.

"... ah... ah... uh..." tears pricked in her eyes. Kami must hate her.

Kojyuro, apparently, understood what she was trying to say, because his eyes widened briefly and he jerked her up into a sitting position – her spine screamed in pain at the sudden movement – and gave her back a firm slap.

She immediately began to cough violently, gasping in the fresh night air.

"Move back! Move back, you idiots, give her space to breathe," Kojyuro growled, though he stayed by her side, mostly because she was still holding his arm in a vice grip. The soldiers all shuffled back, muttering amongst themselves.

Kojyuro waited until her coughing and gasping stopped before leaning down to look at her face, "kunoichi, are you all right?"

It was a rhetorical question; of _course_ she wasn't all right. One of the soldiers gave her a flask of water and she gladly drank, her thoughts drifting. She must have been knocked out before the building was set on fire but she vaguely remembered that her lord, Uesugi Kenshin, had promised to come back for her.

And clearly, he had not.

She lowered the flask from her lips, staring at the ground; the solider slowly took the flask away from her, commenting that she had nearly finished it.

_'He left me... he left me there...' _she tightened her grip on Kojyuro's arm, noticing that he flinched.

"Kunoichi...?"

"I was... abandoned... he promised he would come back for me..." she muttered, focusing her eyes on the ground, _ 'I will not cry. Shinobi don't cry. I will not cry.'_

"Abandoned? What the hell? Who's your master; I'll kick his ass for leaving you in that building," the voice belonged to Masamune. Out of the corner of her eye Kasuga saw Kojyuro's expression change to that of one unimpressed, and he turned his head to look at his lord.

"Masamune-sama..."

"What? No one deserves to be left behind in a burning building! Was it Matsunaga? That bastard..."

"No my – my master is U - ..." Kasuga couldn't say it. She couldn't tell them who her master was. A young man wearing an eye patch and lunar crescent helmet dropped down on her right side; she couldn't believe it.

_'The Dokuganryuu... is this young man?' _she glanced at Kojyuro, on her left,_ 'which means he's the Ryuu no Migime... just my luck.'_

"Come on, who's your master, huh?"

"I – I... he..." she clenched her left hand tightly, subconsciously fisting it in Kojyuro's overcoat sleeve. She grit her teeth.

_'I will not... cry... I...' _but she couldn't help it. Kasuga had never felt so betrayed before; Kenshin said he would come back for her! He promised he would, when she told him to leave the Miyoshi to her. To have it come to this... and her own lord not even able to keep his promise.

She turned in the direction of Kojyuro, dropping her head against his chest plate, keeping as quiet as she possibly could. Her teeth were beginning to hurt she was gritting them so hard. Kojyuro awkwardly rested his hand on her shoulders; clearly he wasn't used to having a woman suddenly start crying against his chest.

"Masamune-sama, what do you propose we do?"

Before Masamune could even respond Kasuga blurted out, "don't leave me like he did! Don't leave me like he did!"

She pushed away from Kojyuro and glared at him – her face was closer to his then she anticipated. His expression was unreadable, though his eyes betrayed a subtle connection to her predicament. His lips were slightly parted.

"... that was quite the outburst, hittou," someone commented, stirring up a flurry of different voices, all adding their own commentary. Kojyuro's lips slowly settled back into their original straight line.

"Well, I don't know what to do, really. Kojyuro what do you suggest we -?"

"I recommend we take her back to Oshuu with us," he stated flatly. He had stood, Kasuga now collected in his arms. She closed her eyes tightly, forcing herself to forget the many times Kenshin had picked her up in a similar manner. Quickly, she tried to struggle out of Kojyuro's arms.

"I – I can walk. I mean, I _am_ a shinobi..." she stuttered. Kojyuro set her down and elbowed her lightly in the back, right above her tail-bone. She gasped in pain and collapsed on the ground as her knees buckled beneath her.

"Kojyuro! What the hell!" Masamune exclaimed, staring at his retainer. Kojyuro sighed and dropped to one knee next to Kasuga; she glared at him.

"Well, I guess you didn't know. There was a log of wood lying over your back, right around here," he set his hand on her back where he had elbowed her, "I'm guessing it cut off your nerves. So no, you _can't_ walk, I'm sorry to inform you."

Kasuga pushed herself up on her arms, "that doesn't mean I can't ride a horse," she spat. Now she felt degraded on top of feeling betrayed. Kojyuro narrowed his eyes at her.

"Suit yourself – but we don't have one to spare."

"Ah, then she can ride with you, Kojyuro."

"Hai, Masamune-sama," Kasuga bit her lip at Kojyuro's response. He didn't sound exactly pleased about the idea.

One of the soldiers helped Kasuga walk to the horses – though there were three other guys standing around her to make sure she didn't fall since she insisted on walking on her own.

_'I can't really feel my legs,' she grit her teeth, glancing at Kojyuro's back, 'I guess that beam did more damage to me then I anticipated.'_

Kojyuro was waiting for her on his horse next to Masamune; she and another one of the soldier's were the only one's that weren't on a mount yet.

"Here, um..." the boy had bent forward slightly, his hands clasped together in the shape of a bowl.

"Kasuga," she muttered, setting her foot on his hands. He smiled at her and hoisted her up; Kojyuro had held out his arm, which she had grasped and used as leverage to get onto the saddle. She was unsure of where to put her arms until Kojyuro glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes narrowed.

"Just wrap them around me, kunoichi. It's not like you can hold onto anything else."

She opened her mouth to speak but decided against it and wrapped her arms obediently around his waist. Masamune looked back at the rest of the army, then smirked and looked straight ahead of himself.

"Are you ready guys?"

"YEAH!"

"Here we go!" he yelled before spurring his horse into a gallop. The whole army followed, shouting. Kasuga tentatively rested her head against Kojyuro's back; he stiffened, but otherwise let her rest her head there.

_'Must be on their way back to Oshuu... that is where they came from, right? Must be...' she sighed softly, 'I wonder if Kenshin-sama will miss me...'_

The journey back to Oshuu was mostly in silence, which surprised Kasuga since they had been so boisterous earlier. Kasuga had no idea how long it was going to take them to get back to Oshuu, but since they didn't stop for the night she guessed they would reach the territory by morning.

As the sun started to come up Kasuga felt as though she was being shaken; she raised her tired head to look at Kojyuro – though she couldn't see his face.

"So who is your master, kunoichi."

"My name isn't 'kunoichi'," she hissed, "unless you're interested in having me refer to you as samurai, Kojyuro-sama."

She was sure she heard him chuckle before he spoke again, "it doesn't really matter to me, kunoichi."

Kasuga huffed, "my master... is..." she bit her lip, still unable to say.

"For Kami's sake, Kasuga, your master left you the hell behind! Tell us who he is," Masamune butted in on the conversation. Kasuga glared down at the ground.

"Uesugi Kenshin," she finally uttered, biting her lip again. The two men were quiet at the revelation.

"... I didn't know the War God was like that."

"He's not! He -"

"Oi! Don't defend someone who left you behind!" Masamune argued, turning his head so he could look at her with his seeing eye.

"Masamune-sama," the tone of Kojyuro's voice was stern, "we know nothing of her relationship with her lord. It would be best if you were more understanding of the situation. The War God had told her he would come back for her; correct?" he turned his head so Kasuga would know he was asking the question of her.

"Yes."

"Then we should first assume that it was his own soldiers who prevented him from returning to find her."

"Oi, then Kojyuro, why did you suggest we bring her with us?" Masamune inquired, tossing his head slightly. Kasuga gazed steadily at the back of Kojyuro's head, _'yes, why did you suggest that I be brought with you, if you think Kenshin-sama was going to return for me?'_

"The answer is simple, Masamune-sama. A beam from that building landed on her lower back. If we had left her there she could have damaged her back further. Also, didn't you notice how she struggled to walk that short distance out of the woods? I'm sure you noticed, since it's your body," he added, turning his head to glance at her. Kasuga clenched her teeth.

"Are you worried about me then, Kojyuro-sama?"

"I thought you were going to call me samurai."

"Answer my question!" she snapped, cheeks flushing red in her fury. The green eye that she could see lit up, as if he were smiling.

"You're a shinobi, as you stated. Your legs are your life. If you cannot walk..." he let his voice trail off as Kasuga let his words sink in. She pressed her head against his back.

She didn't want to think about it.

* * *

Kasuga was worried. She hadn't been able to feel her legs since she got to Oshuu a week ago. Surely the beam hadn't hit her _that_ hard.

_'There's no way my spinal cord was injured just no __–__ it can't be possible!' _she clenched the blankets over her legs tightly, her hands shaking. Bunshichi – the soldier who had been helping her most often – slid open the door to her room, a tray of food in his hands. He smiled at her, cheerful as always; he was quite optimistic about her legs.

"Morning, Kasuga-chan!"

"Ohio, Bunshichi," she greeted back, relaxing her hands and returning his smile. She bottled up all her negative emotions and accepted the food from him. He chatted with her while she ate, informing her that the village girls were looking forward to meeting her.

"Are you implying that I smell?" she inquired, munching on a sweet roll. Bunshichi laughed nervously.

"No, no! Of course not! I'm definitely not implying that you smell! I'm just saying that the village girls are eager to get to meet you -"

"Saying that implies that they're eager about taking me to the onsen," Kasuga interrupted, glancing at Bunshichi as she swiped her thumb over her lips, "who's going to take me there, hm? I'm not saying you aren't strong but-"

"I'll be taking you," the low voice that butted into the conversation – it was one voice that made Kasuga shudder. She looked up to see Kojyuro leaning in the doorway, wearing a traditional hakama with an open shirt, a haori draped over his shoulders. His arms were crossed over his chest, his head tipped back as he gazed at her.

Kasuga swallowed lightly; she was dressed in a simple kosode herself, "you seem to be taking it upon yourself to look after me, Kojyuro-sama. Do I look like a vegetable to you?"

She took some victory in seeing his lips quirk up into a quick smile, though she was sure he bit the inside of his cheek to prevent a full on smile.

"I'm sure if we dressed you in an orange kimono, you would look very much like a carrot," he pushed away from the entrance, striding forward, "perhaps we should add a bushel of dry leaves to your hair to enhance the effect."

Bunshichi look between the two as Kojyuro knelt down next to Kasuga before he stood quickly, bowing slightly, his ponytail falling over his shoulder.

"Ah, excuse me!" he rushed out of the room; Kasuga wasn't exactly sure why. She peeled the blanket off herself, shuffling into Kojyuro's arms. He picked her up easily and walked out of the room. To distract herself from how her legs hung so limply in his arms, Kasuga struck up a conversation with the man.

"You really do treat me like a vegetable."

"Someone has been talking to you about my habits lately, hasn't he?" Kojyuro muttered, a smirk on his lips. Kasuga smiled fondly, resting her head against Kojyuro's shoulder.

"Someone isn't going to be punished for that, is he?" she purred, her thoughts drifting to Bunshichi and his silly grin. Kojyuro laughed; Kasuga liked it when he laughed.

_'He laughs more when the Date army isn't on the battlefield. Smiles more... though he tries not to,' _she poked his chest when he cut his laugh short.

"I'm impressed you've managed so much with your legs in this condition."

Kasuga bit her lip, hoping he didn't sense her discomfort on the topic –_ 'though it's one I'd like to avoid' - _"what do you expect, Kojyuro-sama? Even if my legs aren't working yet, nothing changes the fact that I'm a shinobi. I can do things without them, you know that right?"

"Mm," was his reply. Kasuga tried to look at his face; she only managed to make out that he was thinking.

"Will I like these girls?" Kasuga asked off-handedly. She could hear giggling voices already.

"I'm sure you'll like Suzu," he replied, nodding at the girl who poked her head around the corner. She had a cute face, her hazel eyes bigger then usual. Her hair was a lovely brown color, and when she looked to her right her cheeks were dusted with red.

_'Hm, someone here likes you,' s_he thought, staring up at Kojyuro. He glanced down at her, expression unreadable.

"Katakura-sama!" the call was made by several women. Kasuga's eyes widened briefly and she giggled when she saw that the tip of Kojyuro's ear had turned red.

"Someone here is liked," she commented out loud. Kojyuro twitched.

"Would you like for me to drop you?" he whispered as the women all crowded around him, trying to look at Kasuga. She placed her arms on his shoulders to lift herself slightly so she could whisper in his ear.

"How unchivalrous of you, Katakura Kojyuro. Surely you wouldn't do such a thing in front of all these eager girls?"

He pinched her back in response; of course he wasn't that type of man. He was very chivalrous, from what Kasuga had managed to coax Bunshichi into telling her.

_'What's more, Bunshichi told me Kojyuro-sama is kinder then he let's on. I wonder why he hides it all under such a cold exterior,' _she gave him her thanks as he set her on the edge of the onsen, swarmed by women,_ 'maybe I should ask Date-dono about that. Seems like he's one of few that gets this man to smile.'_

After Kojyuro had left the girls swarmed Kasuga, some squealing over the color of her hair while others demanded to know how she got Kojyuro to be so relaxed.

"Relaxed?" Kasuga repeated, focusing her eyes on Suzu, "what do they mean by relaxed?"

"Huh? Oh, normally Katakura-sama isn't like that. I mean, uh... how do I put it," she tapped her lips while one of the other girls' giddily washed Kasuga's hair; Kasuga let her. After a moment Suzu shrugged.

"He's rarely ever relaxed, unless he's working in the fields. I don't know if I've even ever seen him relaxed around Date-sama."

"Eh? Really?" Kasuga thought on this. Kojyuro was definitely a tense individual, but she was sure he was relaxed around Masamune, "why wouldn't he be relaxed around Date-dono?"

"Maybe because that young brat is so reckless. You can't be relaxed around someone who has a habit of charging right into a fight with no plan," one of the older women piped up. She handed Kasuga a cloth, "we heard you were a shinobi."

"I am..." Kasuga muttered, letting her voice trail off. The woman helped remove her kosode so Kasuga could wash herself.

As she washed her legs Kasuga realized that some of the girls were holding them up so she could reach them. She blinked; she hadn't even felt them touch her legs. What was more, she couldn't feel the sensation of the cloth rubbing over the skin of her legs.

She stopped in her scrubbing briefly, lips quivering.

"Ah! What was your name again?" Suzu asked from beside her. Kasuga quickly collected her bearings and continued scrubbing her legs.

"Kasuga."

"Just Kasuga?"

"Mm," Kasuga nodded at the girls and they lowered her legs back into the water. Suzu grinned happily at her when Kasuga looked at her.

"Kasuga-chan," she said cutely, poking Kasuga in the forehead. Kasuga smiled at her, containing her emotions. The hour dragged on, and soon the women started to leave one by one, or in pairs. Kasuga stayed on the edge of the onsen, staring down at the rippling surface around her legs. The few remaining women had already helped her get mostly dressed in her kosode.

Kasuga tried to kick her legs; the appendages didn't respond to her commands. She continued to stare at them.

_'I won't accept it. I won't,' t_he water looked very enticing then. Maybe this was all a bad dream and she could escape it if only she would wake up.

"Kasuga-chan? Ah, I'll get Katakura-sama for you," the girl departed, leaving Kasuga to her thoughts. The hot water continued to beckon to Kasuga, calling out softly.

_'I want to wake up from this bad dream... it is a dream, right? Kenshin-sama surely came to save me, I'm not in Oshuu and my legs are perfectly fine... yes,' _she pushed off the edge of the onsen and fell into the hot water.

_'... I can't move my legs.'_

That was her last thought, so she believed. But Kasuga became aware that she was breathing again, and someone was crying while someone else was pressing their hands firmly to her chest in a rhythmic motion. She coughed violently and opened her eyes to see Kojyuro's furious face, dripping with water – she was sure that was her fault.

He leaned over her, one arm braced on either side of her shoulders. Though he was greatly angered at her suicidal attempt she could see that he was keeping his anger bottled back,_ 'probably because Suzu-chan is here.'_

"What were you thinking? Doing that when you can't even move your legs properly; I swear you're more reckless then Masamune-sama!" he chided, picking her up roughly, causing her to cough up the last bit of water in her lungs. Kasuga curled her head around, refusing to let anyone see her face. She was sure Suzu was flitting around in a worried flurry.

"Katakura-sama, will she be all right?"

"... I think she will be," he replied after a moment. Kasuga peeked a look at his face. He was looking at her with those betraying eyes again; eyes that betrayed his real feelings, that maybe he meant to say "I hope she will be". She coiled her head back towards her chest again, and fell asleep.

* * *

The next day when Kasuga awoke she found Masamune sitting near her futon. She didn't have the strength to sit up.

"I see you're awake, kunoichi."

"Ah..." she couldn't bear to look at the leader of Oshuu.

"Why did you do that, huh? You really had us worried, you know..." Masamune informed her, blowing smoke out of his mouth. Kasuga's lips twitched.

"You were worried?"

"Of course! It's in human nature to worry about someone you care about, right? Look, we rescued you," he chuckled then, tapping his pipe against his knee, "rather, Kojyuro rescued you. You see?"

"Where is he?" she asked out of curiosity. She glanced at Masamune and watched as his face darkened.

"He's been working himself out in the fields like a damn oxen. Hasn't taken a break since this morning. You really had him worried, you know?"

"Why does he care so much about me? I'm not a vegetable; I don't need to be tended to every second of my life!" she blurted out, sitting up suddenly. Masamune stared at her in surprise at her outburst. His expression softened when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I don't know why he cares about you so much either, you know. That's a question you should ask him yourself."

"What, has he never treated you like that before!"

"When I was little and too stupid to defend myself. Now? I'll be damned if he ever takes it upon himself to treat me like a vegetable. That, and he knows I'll beat him around the head for it. I'm a general; I can take care of myself, you see?" he flexed one of his hands, smirking. Kasuga glared at him, wiping angrily at her eyes.

"I'm a shinobi, I can take care of myself."

Masamune frowned, "the only things that have happened to me are the gun-shot from Oda, and then the beat-down from Toyotomi. After both of those incidents, I still had use of my legs... you can't move your legs. It's natural for Kojyuro to be caring to those unable to fend for themselves... way of the samurai, you know? I'm like that too."

Kasuga stopped wiping at her eyes, sure she had heard him wrong. He blew out another puff of smoke before speaking again.

"We had a doctor take another look at you while you were sleeping," he suddenly sounded like he didn't want to inform her of the results, "sorry, Kasuga, but... you're never going to walk again. Your legs are completely useless; that's what he said. Just to make sure we slashed one of your legs – you didn't even respond. Not even a flinch or a cry of pain... but that's that, you see? You. Can't. Walk."

She started shaking her head and Masamune got up, walking over to her and yanking off the blanket to reveal that one of her legs was bandaged. He tilted his head to the side, looking closely at her leg.

"Looks like we need to change that bandage, damn. You sure bleed a lot from the legs," he commented off-handedly. Kasuga stared at the wall,_ 'it can't be. I was supposed to wake up from that dream!'_

She startled Masamune when she lurched to her feet, only to collapse immediately after doing so. Her legs were not obeying any of her commands. She dragged herself along the floor, refusing to believe that this was her ultimate reality.

"I... I can walk. It was all just a dream, a really bad dream. I'm in Echigo with Kenshin-sama and I'm happy and I c-can walk..." she chanted to herself, while Masamune just stood by and watched, his expression sullen. She slid open the door and dragged herself out of the room and along the patio, eliciting sounds of shock and worry from the people around the area.

"Leave her! She needs to accept it. Let her struggle through it. The delusional need to learn the hard way – that's what Kojyuro taught me."

It wasn't long before Kasuga was shrieking, her tears seemingly never-ending. Yet she continued on her quest to try and walk, latching on tightly to a nearby support beam and pulling herself to her feet. She forced her body to stand there but her legs shook and swayed until finally they buckled, unable to support her. She collapsed backwards onto the patio and rolled over, once again resuming her futile crawling.

"I can walk, I can walk..." she wailed quietly. She could feel vibrations in the patio and she knew that a certain dragon of a man had surely heard her screaming. She froze in place when his feet came to a stop in front of her, and when he breathed deeply she could sense his fury rising off him in waves. She tried to crawl back, away from him, but with her legs limp and useless the feat was impossible.

Kojyuro reached down and grabbed the back of her plain kosode, jerking her mightily off the wooden planks and throwing her over his shoulder. She assaulted his back with her fists, her crying starting all over again.

"Let me go! Put me down! I can walk, _I can walk!__"_

He reached around with his free arm and clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her for the time being.

"Masamune-sama, I'll take her then," his voice was monotone.

"Okay, Kojyuro. I'll leave her to you," and with Masamune's approval Kojyuro all but stomped away. His hand stayed firmly clamped over her mouth all the way to his room – even after Kasuga bit his palm several times.

Once he was in his room with the door firmly shut he jerked her off his shoulder and slammed her roughly against the floor. She felt her back crack before pain over took her senses; she gasped loudly. Kojyuro wasted no time in turning her over and setting a lightning fused palm against the small of her back.

Kasuga screamed as the lightning raced up and down her spine, shocking her legs into convulsing violently. She grasped the futon tightly in her hands, twisting her body from side to side in her attempts to get away from him.

_'This hurts; it hurts, it hurts so much!' _and here she had been under the impression that he was a kind man. He stopped the lightning flow and aside from Kasuga's heaving gasps there was no sound in the room. He bent over her then, his lips next to her ear_._

"Don't move," he growled before getting up and leaving the room. Kasuga lay still on the futon, tears continuing to stream out of her eyes until she fell asleep.

The next two weeks repeated themselves in a similar fashion: Bunshichi still came to give Kasuga her daily meals. Kojyuro would come in every once in a while to carry her off to a bathroom to do her business. She would never be able to guess how he tolerated just waiting around for her to finish – it was something she would have never been able to do.

In the evenings Kojyuro would take her to the onsen where she let the village women play with her hair and wash her legs, while she stared solemnly at the surface of the water. Now Kasuga would be one of the first to leave the onsen. It became clear to her that this was because of her suicidal attempt a while back.

After this time in the onsen Kojyuro would lay Kasuga down on the futon, her back towards the ceiling. It was then that he would course lightning through her lower back, which always tended to make her legs jerk and kick wildly. Kasuga had since grown resistant to the pain that ran up her spine every once in a while.

Kojyuro hardly talked to her, and Kasuga didn't really want to talk to him; they only shared brief greetings with one another. Kasuga did notice something strange about their interactions though; she was comfortable. She was comfortable in his presence and in his silence – she couldn't help thinking Kojyuro felt the same way, that he was also comfortable with this. If he was relaxed around her before, he was even more relaxed around her now.

After the two weeks Masamune suddenly came by to visit her, his helmet under his arm and dressed fully in his armor.

"Oi, Kasuga. How you doing?" was his first question. Kasuga pushed herself up into a sitting position, her heart pounding, _'why is he wearing his armor?'_

"I'm... doing all right, I guess."

"You guess? Che, that's not a very honest answer," he plopped down on the floor next to her, scratching his head, "come on, be honest. You really hate him don't you?"

Kasuga stared at her hands and replied, "saying that I hate him won't be very honest either, Date-dono, nor would it be accurate. I still don't know what he's doing but... I can't complain anymore. My life has no meaning since I can't use my legs," she wanted to add, _'maybe it's his own way of caring for me,'_ but she decided not to.

When Kasuga looked up at Masamune's face she saw that he had a gentle smile on his lips, "I see you've finally accepted that fact, huh."

Kasuga turned her head away, refusing to look at him, "where are you going, all dressed up like that?"

"Huh? Off to battle, obviously. Our scouts came back earlier today to let me know that some idiots are rebelling around here, so I'm off to set them straight."

Kasuga turned her head back to the door when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps. Kojyuro now stood in the doorway, fully dressed in his armor as well, and focused his gaze on her even as he spoke to Masamune, "Masamune-sama, the troops are ready to move out."

"All right, Kojyuro. Thanks. I'll be another minute or so."

"Of course," Kojyuro bowed slightly and left, going back in the direction he had come from. Kasuga set a hand on her chest where her heart might be.

_'Did my heart... skip a beat?' s_he wondered, clenching her hand slightly,_ 'I know I don't hate him, but surely I couldn't be starting to...'_

"Well, Kasuga, the soldiers I have staying behind will do their best to look after you. Not the brightest of men, I'll have you know, but they're strong, you see? And they're nice, so don't worry."

"Ah... um, of course," as he stood to leave Kasuga quickly asked the question that had been prominently on her mind, "Date-dono. Why is it that Kojyuro-sama is always so tense? I mean, whenever he's around you he seems so... tense..."

"Eh, I'm guessing it's because I'm rash and reckless. And young. Actually, I want him to stay behind – I want to see how well I could handle this on my own, without my right eye, but Kojyuro is convinced that I can't do that quite yet. Which is a real blow to my ego," he laughed and Kasuga couldn't resist smiling.

_'Which reminds me...' _she licked her lips before asking her last question, "Date-dono, Kojyuro-sama doesn't smile very often. Why is that? I was sure he smiled the most around you but..."

Masamune kept his back to her as he answered her question, "he used to, Kasuga. He used to be a lot happier then he is now. After that whole fiasco with Hideyoshi, and with Takenaka Hanbei slashing my back, Kojyuro seems to have... degraded himself, almost. Personally, I think that old man needs a break," he tossed his head and grinned over his shoulder at Kasuga, fixing his helmet in place, "oi, do me a favor and give him some lovin' will ya?"

"_DATE-DONO!__"_Kasuga screeched, cheeks reddening at the very thought. He laughed and dashed out of the room, leaving Kasuga to fume at no one. The soldiers that came by to deliver her food and – thankfully – chat with her weren't two that she recognized but they were kind enough.

_'I wonder why he suggested that,' _Kasuga thought to herself once she was alone again_, 'he thinks Kojyuro-sama could use some love? Maybe I'm not thinking of this right... by love, since he's referring to me, Date-dono probably means something... romantic? But surely that's not what Kojyuro-sama needs...' _she fisted her hands in her hair, then started. Her hair had grown. She mindlessly fingered the now longer strands at the back of her head as she continued to mull over what is was that Masamune had suggested.

_'Kojyuro-sama receives childish affection from Date-dono, love that Date-dono surely gave to his father. And Date-dono shows the obvious signs of growing up, wanting Kojyuro to leave his side and let him be a general on his own... after all, Kojyuro-sama won't be around forever,' _she bit her lip at the thought. She briefly wondered what Masamune would do when Kojyuro was no longer around – though she was sure that Masamune would manage. He would be able to raise up another soldier to be his right eye.

_'Yes, no worries there. Bunshichi would probably be the best choice... he's a little bit like a strategist himself... who knows, maybe Kojyuro-sama is already teaching him what needs to be done as the Dragon's Right Eye.'_

Kasuga forced herself to stop thinking about the whole suggestion, and lay down to take a short nap. It was the only thing she could do when she was alone. She hoped that if she dreamed she would dream of Kojyuro, and not the person who had been plaguing her sleep the past few nights.

* * *

"Oi, Kojyuro," Masamune called to his retainer. The man stiffened ever so slightly before approaching his lord.

"Yes, Masamune-sama?"

"You don't want to be here, do you?"

Kojyuro's eyes narrowed, "Masamune-sama, don't be ridiculous -"

"I'm not being ridiculous!" Masamune exclaimed, rolling his eye,_ 'leave it to father to think I'm being ridiculous.'_

"Yes, you are," Kojyuro growled. Masamune couldn't help choking on a laugh. Kojyuro was so irritated it amused him. It was very clear to Masamune that his fatherly figure was falling in love and he didn't know how to deal with it.

"Oi, Kojyuro. I can handle this on my own. Go back to Oshuu. You don't need to trouble yourself with this."

"Masamune-sama -"

"That's an order, Kojyuro. It's clear to me that you don't want to be here. And it's clear to me that you would rather devote your time to a certain someone else."

Masamune grinned when Kojyuro was for once at a loss for words. His retainer's eyes shifted around as he thought of something he could say to refute Masamune's observation.

"You're the only one I devote my time to, Masamune-sama," he finally stated, but the argument itself was weak.

"If that were true, you wouldn't be fretting over her every single second of her life and treating her like a one of your precious vegetables. I was sure of two things that you were devoted to before we found her: me and your vegetables," Masamune rested a hand on Kojyuro's shoulder, "now you've added her to your list, and you can't stop thinking she'll do something reckless. She reminds you of me, doesn't she?"

"I..." Kojyuro clamped his mouth shut, finally deciding that it was probably better he didn't speak.

_'Hah, so I was right,' _Masamune patted Kojyuro on the shoulder, "it's all right, father. I'm not a little helpless boy anymore; I can take care of myself. Besides, I have those four idiots," he jerked his head in the direction of Magobei, Bunshichi, Yoshinao and Samanosuke, "and you've been training Bunshichi somewhat, haven't you? You're ready to leave the battlefield for a while."

Kojyuro breathed deeply and looked away, his eyes unfocused. Masamune gave his shoulder a squeeze and removed his hand, gesturing to Kojyuro's horse.

"Go on back home, you old man. Take good care of her."

Kojyuro embraced Masamune around the shoulders, one hand on his head. Masamune returned the hug – it had been a while since Kojyuro had hugged him.

"Thank you, Masamune-sama," Kojyuro muttered and soon Masamune heard the sound of the horse galloping away. Once that was done with Masamune could breathe more easily.

_'Well, that's one worry off my mind. Now then,' _he gathered himself up, "oi, Bunshichi! Come here for a minute will ya?"

"H-hai!" Bunshichi quickly came scurrying over, looking around for Kojyuro, "ano, where's Katakura-sama?"

"Kojyuro's gone back to Oshuu, so you're gonna' be my right eye for today, got that? Protecting my back will be your job."

Bunshichi looked pleased and terrified at the same time upon hearing the news, "ah, hai, hittou! I will protect your back at all costs!"

"All right! Let's get this party started!"

* * *

Kasuga slowly sat up, pulling herself out of her dr – nightmare. Her absolutely horrible nightmare. In her nightmare she hadn't screamed and so Kojyuro had not run in and saved her. The building had collapsed, but for some reason she was not killed. She closed her eyes tightly and fisted her hands in the blanket.

_'I guess it's better I remember earlier then later... what it was exactly that happened to me...' she opened her eyes and took several deep breaths._

_The collapse of the building hadn't killed her __–__ 'why am I forcing myself to think about this?' _- and he found her again, and pulled her out of the rubble, that terrible grin on his face and his dark chuckle... touching her all over because she couldn't resist him anymore, not with her useless legs.

She clenched her whole body, feeling her legs tingle; she shook her head from side-to-side.

_'Oh, now I wish I didn't remember what happened to me after I killed those three men... those three Miyoshi. It was like he was lying in wait the entire time and __–__ eh? Did I just... unclench my toes?' _she threw off the blanket, staring with narrowed eyes at her feet. She had accepted that her legs were now limp and useless; there was no way that they would suddenly start working again. She experimentally tried wiggling her left toes and could not suppress her gasp when her toes did just that, and wiggled.

_'It can't be! I'm being cured?' _her eyes widened in realization, _'Kojyuro-sama... all these days, for the past two weeks, he's been... trying to fix my spine with his lightning... why?'_

Tears pricked at her eyes. Not even Kenshin or Sasuke would go that far for her, but why Kojyuro, of all people? She didn't consider him the type of man to just suddenly start caring about her, '_unless he feels some kind of connection to me... but what connection? Has he... been betrayed by Masamune before or... has he betrayed himself before?' _she thought to his appearance, why he was so tense, his lack of joy... she wondered if that was all connected to how he got the scar on the left side of his face.

Her toes twitched again and her attention was refocused on them. It was also possible that Kojyuro was trying to fix her legs so she could return to being a shinobi and go back to Echigo to be with Kenshin again. She lowered her head slightly, her bangs covering her eyes. She didn't know if she wanted that anymore.

The shoji door slid open and one of the soldiers left behind called to her cheerfully, "Kasuga-chan! How are you feeling -"

"Help me up," she said suddenly, turning her body towards the man. He blinked at her, confused, and scratched the back of his head.

"Okay..." he approached her and grasped her biceps, slowly pulling her up to her feet. She carefully rested her weight on her legs, feeling her feet tingle. Tears slipped out of her eyes as she tried to hold in all her feelings.

"Ah, do you want me to pick you up...?" the soldier asked tentatively. She shook her head, taking a tiny step forward.

"No, no, just... just help me to the door; I just want to walk to the door."

"O-kay..." he was unsure of doing this, obviously. It seemed to Kasuga that they had been given strict orders not to let her attempt walking.

"Just to the door, that's all I want," she repeated, "just to the door."

The soldier nodded and slowly helped her shuffle her feet along the floor. The tingling feeling she felt in her lower back came all too soon: she had only proceeded forward five measly shuffles, not even steps.

"Pick me up, pick me up," she said, wrapping her arms around the soldier's neck. He quickly did so, careful to fan his large hand over her lower back.

_'Kojyuro-sama must have told them to do that... to press their palms to that part of my back to support it...' _she rested her head against the soldier's shoulder and told him to set her down on the top step. He did just that and after a dismissive wave of her hand he left her alone.

_'For Kojyuro-sama to go so far as to fix my legs... just what did I do to deserve such... kindness...' she buried her face in her hands._

The hour passed by and she jerked her head up when she heard someone yell in a stunned voice, "Katakura-sama?"

_'They're back? No __–__ wait, just Kojyuro-sama came back?' _Kasuga was shocked. Kojyuro had come back to Oshuu alone? Masamune had let him?

Kojyuro appeared in Kasuga's line of sight, his gaze intent on her. The soldier gave her a sheepish look and she smiled to herself,_ 'every good soldier reports to their superior the doings of their charge. Of course Kojyuro-sama knows I tried walking.'_

"Can I not even leave you for three hours before you go about trying to walk on those legs of yours -"

"Kojyuro-sama," she interrupted, holding up her hand, "if you would let me explain myself first?"

He closed his mouth, narrowing his eyes at her before moving to stand in front of her, arms crossed over his chest.

"Very well. Explain yourself."

"I... had woken up just an hour ago from... an interesting dream," she couldn't tell him that it was actually a nightmare and she definitely couldn't tell him who it was about, "and I noticed that I could feel my toes. And then I realized I could move my toes. I just wanted to try, if even the only thing I managed was to move not even a foot from where I had been lying. I keep on _telling_ you that I'm a shinobi and you said so yourself that my legs are my life... but..."

"But what?" his voice had softened considerably, but his gaze was still harsh. She bit her lip.

"But then I remembered that for the past two weeks you've been shocking my spinal cord with your lightning. It dawned on me that you were probably... trying to fix my spine and then I felt it tingle so I gave up on walking right away," she swallowed, turning her head to the side to hide her eyes, "I didn't want to ruin all the hard work you've done getting my legs back to the point where I can move my toes so I -?" she found a gloved finger pressed to her lips.

"That's enough. You don't have to say anymore," Kojyuro muttered, "Masamune-sama sent me back, in case you were wondering."

He moved his finger from her lips to her chin and made her look at him. She bit her lip.

"I was going to ask why you came back."

He smiled and dropped his head, releasing a quick breath. He then picked her up, "I'll take you to one of my favorite places. Would you like that?"

"Yes I would. Since it's your favorite place, and I'm curious about you," she added the last part admittedly; she couldn't deny that she was curious of Kojyuro.

"And I of you," he mumbled. Kasuga rested her head against his shoulder; it was something she had become accustomed to. He carried her out of the side gates of the surrounding walls and proceeded up a nearby hill. There was a lonely oak tree sitting atop the small hill, surrounded by bushes and vines. Kojyuro set Kasuga down against the bark and settled himself on the ground next to her.

"It's a nice view. I thought maybe you were going to take me to a vegetable patch," Kasuga teased, smiling over her shoulder at Kojyuro. He frowned at her, releasing a short sigh.

"Do I honestly give you that impression?" he asked, squinting at her. Kasuga puffed out her cheeks and didn't reply. They sat in silence for a while, watching birds fly by in the sky above.

"What are you like? One minute you're kind and the next second you're absolutely volatile..." Kasuga decided to start the conversation.

"I don't like it, but I'll have you know that my temper is quite the stormy one. If you get me mad enough I'll beat you senseless," he admitted, looking at her. Kasuga blushed lightly and turned her head to the other side.

"So you have a temper... and you're stubborn too... quite the opposite to Kenshin-sama."

"And you're almost_ exactly_ like Masamune-sama: rash, unreasonable, foolish, young -"

Kasuga whipped up her arm and covered his mouth with her hand, slowly turning her head back around so she could glare at him, "I suppose you could go on forever about all the similarities Date-dono and I share, couldn't you?"

Kojyuro nodded his head once and eyed her hand. His pose suggested that Kasuga had surprised him, as he was leaning back against his arms slightly.

"Then tell me about what's _different_. And if you must know first, I could go on forever about how different you are from Kenshin-sama. Would you like me to tell you? Why am I even asking?" she leaned towards him, keeping her hand over his mouth. He leaned back further in response, brow furrowing.

"Let's see, you're tense, strict, stubborn, quick-tempered, volatile and slow-footed... but say I mention the similarities..." she slowly moved her hand, dragging her fingers over his lips, across his jawbone and down his neck, noticing how he flinched away from her touch more then once, his head jerking to the side. A bead of sweat slid down his forehead.

"You're quick-witted, intelligent, strong, capable, fearless and," she poked him in the forehead, making him glare at her, "awfully handsome."

He was silent for a moment, his hands flexing on the grass – Kasuga could have sworn she saw the faintest of color in his cheeks – before he found his voice, "I'm not sure if being awfully handsome is a good thing or a bad thing."

Kasuga giggled softly, dropping her head to the right since she couldn't hug her knees like she normally would, _ 'it's horrible that you're so handsome. I thought that Kenshin-sama would be the only one who would ever catch my eye, and that no other could match him. But then I met you... not that I'm going to tell you all that,' _she shrugged. Kojyuro had straightened, as that was the only way he would have been able to reach towards her and force her to look at him.

"Since you mentioned six of each I assume I'm granted the same liberty," he frowned when she complained in a soft whine, "it's only fair."

"Fair! Ugh!" she tried to pull her chin out of his hand but he tightened his grip. His hold wasn't enough to hurt her, but it was enough to hold her still. He scrutinized her face and Kasuga tried to keep a blush from rising to her cheeks – this became increasingly difficult the longer he stared at her.

"Allow me to repeat myself of the similarities: you're rash, unreasonable, foolish, young, violent and disagreeable. As for the differences," Kojyuro swept his hand into her hair, brushing back her bangs, "you're quiet, well-mannered, poised, diligent, maintained and," he leaned in very close, taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't skitter away from him, "irresistibly beautiful."

"I-irresistible?" she stuttered, her cheeks flushing a brilliant red. He brushed his knuckles over her left cheek, giving her a small smile, though it quickly disappeared.

"I could, of course, be dishonest and tell you that you were simply beautiful. Or, I could be honest, and tell you the truth."

"I'll take your honesty," she mumbled, flustered now. It didn't help that him getting so close reminded her of her haunting.

"Kojyuro-sama."

"Hm?"

_'He really is quite relaxed around me. Probably because I'm not running around trying to rule Japan,' _ she almost giggled at her own thought but voiced her question, "how did you get your scar? And uh," she faltered when his expression turned flat*, "why did you get... attached to me so fast?" she wasn't sure how else she could phrase her question.

He was quiet for several minutes, and right when Kasuga was going to tell him that he didn't need to answer her question he spoke, "when you demanded that we not leave you like he did three weeks back, you made me remember something similar that my father had done to me. It was my punishment for doing something foolish while he was training me," Kojyuro rested his head against the trunk of the tree, wincing slightly. Kasuga poked him in the shoulder until he looked at her. She patted her lap, trying to keep a blush from coming to her cheeks once again.

"I'm sure my lifeless legs are more comfortable then the tree."

"If you don't mind..."

"I'm offering, so don't make me go back on it."

Kojyuro moved to sit in front of her, leaning back against her and making her exclaim, "h-hey! I said on my l-legs not on m-m-my chest!"

"I'm not on your chest, and it's easier to talk to you this way," he informed her; Kasuga huffed. He had a point, but she had to retaliate.

"You're the one who's unreasonable."

Kojyuro laughed softly and Kasuga sighed, draping her arms around his waist, "you were saying?"

"Mm, my father left me in the pit I'd fallen into overnight, though I pleaded with him not to leave me there. He came back the next day and retrieved me, of course, and I'd learned my lesson; but the experience had it's consequences. I suppose I'm glad you asked about my scar as well. It ties into this little story. I locked Masamune-sama in a room after he had lashed out at his mother one day. He was... nine, I think, and he and his mother had a terrible relationship. She angered him that day and the only thing he knew was to lash out and as his ward I had to punish him.

"Needless to say he didn't like that one bit – though I'd only locked him inside an empty room for two hours, and stood outside the door the entire time listening to him rage. I let him out after he calmed down. And in retaliation to that he slashed my cheek and gave me this scar, two days later when I was teaching him how to use a sword for the first time."

"Out of anger?" Kasuga was surprised; she had assumed that Kojyuro had gotten the scar from a battle, but she would have never guessed that he got it from Masamune after a little punishment.

"Whether it was out of anger or a really bad temper tantrum, I don't know. Masamune-sama didn't have the best childhood."

"Oh..." Kasuga narrowed her eyes, "it doesn't excuse his actions though. To punish his own retainer for teaching him a lesson..."

"He was like that a lot," Kojyuro mumbled. He rested the left side of his face against her chest, his forehead pressing against her neck. Kasuga raised a hand to stroke his head, frowning.

_'He must of had a hard life... Date-dono must have been hard to raise, if he was like that when he was little and couldn't even take a little punishment... lashing out at his own mother...' _ she closed her eyes, leaning her head against Kojyuro's. They stayed like that until the air cooled considerably, and Kasuga opened her eyes to see that it was quite dark outside.

The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up and she jerked her head to the left, squinting to see that someone was standing in the gate, staring at them. The person was wearing a helmet in the shape of a crescent and Kasuga blushed.

_'Date-dono... ah!' _her lips parted slightly when she noticed that he had turned around and was walking away. She shook Kojyuro lightly.

"Kojyuro-sama, I think the army is back," she informed him softly. He breathed out deeply but didn't move.

"Hm? That's good. I'm sure they're fine."

Kasuga was stumped, "you're not going to go check?"

"That was Masamune-sama at the gate right?"

Kasuga tilted her head against his, "it was but -"

"He didn't call out, so nothing needs my immediate attention."

"Kojyuro-sama... Date-dono mentioned that maybe you need a break from all this."

Kojyuro was quiet; the sun was completely gone by the time he spoke again, "sometimes, Kasuga, I think I do want to get away from all this running around and all this war. Half the time I think about settling down and having kids of my own."

"You... you want kids?" Kasuga repeated. He laughed.

"I do want kids. Does that surprise you?" he turned his head to try and look at her, his warm breath flitting over her neck. Kasuga shivered, shaking her head.

"Only a little. It's natural for everyone to think about settling down, isn't it?"

"What about you?" he asked, turning around suddenly and bracing his left arm against the trunk of the tree. Kasuga blushed deeply; pressing back into the tree trunk was the only thing she could do.

"I – I haven't really given it m-much though w-wh-what with being a shinobi and all it's not like I expect myself to live very long! Uwwah-ah!" he was slowly leaning towards her, eyes hard, "b-b-b-but since I'm probably going to live for longer now that m-m-my legs aren't working right I could give it a thought or two! But I'm not sure about kids!"

"And why not?" Kojyuro asked, satisfied enough with her answer to move away from her and drop his arm. She gave him a glare.

"I'd have to bear them! I'm not sure about giving birth... or being a mother..." Kasuga admitted, looking towards the gates. Kojyuro rested his hand against the side of her face, making her eyes flick back to look at him.

"I've managed to get feeling back in your toes in two weeks. Give me three months and I'm sure I can get you walking again. Or do you want me to give up on that and leave you paralyzed?" he inquired, his expression serious. Kasuga was at a loss for words.

"That's – of course I'd like to walk again..." she reached forward to wrap her arms around his neck, "thank you, Kojyuro."

He tentatively wrapped one arm around her shoulders, murmuring, "you're welcome."

Kasuga released him after a moment and leaned back against the tree, opting to ask him another question – she liked being outside of her room for so long and she wasn't about to give it up because it was dark outside.

"Kojyuro-sama, why do you care about me so much? First you rescue me from that burning building, then you resuscitate me after I nearly drowned myself and now you're trying to fix my broken nerves? Why? Why me?"

He moved to sit next to her and draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest.

"Why you? Because you remind me of who I used to be. You remind me of when I was happy."

"You aren't happy now?" she felt him pull her tighter against his chest.

"I can't say I'm as happy as I used to be. Perhaps it's the war that's finally taking it's toll on me; and I'm not even that old yet."

"Why are you holding me so tightly?" she giggled, "are you afraid the wind's going to whip up a powerful gust and blow me away from you?"

"I want to know what it feels like," he replied. Kasuga's eyes widened, _ 'what does he mean?'_

"What do you mean?" she demanded, pushing against his chest armor. He didn't look down at her. Her eyes narrowed, "are you telling me you've never been hugged before?"

"Hugged? Who hasn't been?" he quirked his eyebrow at her, "of course I was a bit of a rascal when I was younger. I had a few flings here and there. But those are exactly what they were: flings. I had no attachment to them and they meant nothing to me," he looked down, suddenly embarrassed, "but with you I... I..." he couldn't finish his sentence.

"... I don't know how I should handle you," he suddenly said, his hand flexing against her back, "I don't know how I should handle someone so delicate."

"Kojyuro-sama..." she pushed back against his armor again, trying to look at his face. He moved one of his hands to the back of her head and held her head down against his shoulder; Kasuga pouted, but decided not to resist. Obviously he didn't want her to look at his face.

"Oi, lovebirds!"

_'... leave it to Date-dono to ruin the moment,' _Kasuga thought, resisting the urge to sigh. Kojyuro had immediately released her upon hearing "oi" and was resting on his calves, staring over his shoulder at his lord.

"What is it, Masamune-sama?"

"Well... I can't exactly cook -"

"Masamune-sama," Kojyuro stood, exasperated, "what did you do?"

Masamune laughed loudly, "oi, oi! Don't worry, I didn't burn the rice. I'm not as good as you with vegetables yet though," Kasuga was sure that Masamune had just tried to look at her, "you were always better at handling them, Kojyuro."

"Masamune-sama, was that meant to be a compliment?" he growled, glancing at Kasuga.

"Who knows? Anyway, you should bring her in at least. It's pretty chilly out here, you see?"

"Very well, I'll take her back to the room."

"The room? Don't you mean_ your r_oom?" Kasuga listened to the sound of Masamune's feet quickly pattering away, his snicker blown away by the wind. Kojyuro stood still for several heart beats and when the breeze died he knelt down to pick Kasuga up.

* * *

"Kasuga-chan!" Bunshichi's voice made her smile. It had been three months since she had been rescued, and she now had full feeling back in her legs. The doctor had advised her not to do too much walking, and had also told her that despite the fact she could move her legs again, she would never be able to return to her life as a shinobi.

The news had saddened her, but she had already accepted this as her fate.

_'And he still doesn't know how he should handle me...' _she sighed lightly and smiled at Bunshichi when he slid open the door. He had a tray of food in his hands.

"I know you would rather come get your food yourself but... doctor's orders. Here you go! Hope you enjoy!" he had set the tray down on her lap and then run out, much to Kasuga's surprise. She shrugged and poked at her food. She and Kojyuro hadn't been given the chance to spend long hours simply talking to each other ever since that day three months ago. There was too much to do in the fields in preparation for the coming winter, and recently the Oshuu territory had been attacked by a remnant of the Toyotomi troops.

When the attack had happened, Kasuga had waited on the patio nearest to the front gate, worried for their safety. When they returned Kasuga could tell from Masamune's expression that they had lost several good soldiers. At first she hadn't been able to see Kojyuro and she was afraid that he had been one of the ones to fall but he had strode quickly out of the dense group of soldiers and gone right to her. His first demand was to know what she thought she was doing away from her room. Kasuga's response was to stand as quickly as her legs allowed and throw her arms around his neck, informing him simply that she was glad he was safe.

_'He was so shocked he didn't even hug me back,' _a frown came to Kasuga's lips, _'though lately I've been remembering too much of what happened to me before that building went up in flames... I wish I could forget it...' _she looked up at the door when she heard voices arguing.

"Masamune-sama, really, I -"

"Oh come on now, Kojyuro! Look at her sitting in here all by her lonesome! Keep her company for a while, all right?" Masamune was pushing Kojyuro into Kasuga's room – originally Kojyuro's – against his retainer's will. Kasuga stared at him and his green eyes flicked in her direction; quickly he diverted his gaze.

_'Is he blushing? Him, of all people, actually full on blushing?' _she couldn't believe it and set her food to the side. Kojyuro whipped around to face Masamune.

"Don't misinterpret what I said you brat!" Kasuga covered her mouth with her hand. For Kojyuro to be so flustered as to refer to Masamune as a brat was a first.

"Oi, Kojyuro, you called me a brat," Masamune chided, "as your punishment you have to stay in here, you see? Ah, ah! No buts! That's an order. Stay," and with one final push Masamune had Kojyuro past the threshold and had closed the door. Kojyuro stood there with his back to Kasuga, hands twitching in irritation.

"I would ask you what it was you said but I don't think you'd be willing to tell me," Kasuga said after a few minutes. Kojyuro turned around and trudged over to sit down next to her, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I am very unwilling to tell you."

Kasuga shrugged and picked up her tray. It was silent while she ate and Kasuga was sure Kojyuro had fallen asleep. More thoughts trickled into her mind and she lost her appetite.

_'I wish I could stop thinking about it. It happened nearly four months ago and Kenshin __–__ no, Uesugi-dono hasn't come looking for me since,' _she swallowed, lifting a hand to her face,_ 'it's not something that I should still be crying over!'_

"Kasuga?" Kojyuro's voice was cautious. She felt him set his hand on her shoulder and she attempted to shrug his hand off. He lifted his hand and after a silent moment Kasuga sniffed; instinctively she would have turned towards him but she forced herself to turn away.

"Kasuga," Kojyuro lifted the tray off her legs and set it on his left, behind her, "what's wrong?"

_'I can't tell him. I can't tell him!' _but Kojyuro was being very insistent. He reached around in front of her with his right arm and grasped her shoulder, pulling gently.

"Talk to me, Kasuga."

She pressed a hand to his chest, "it's nothing, Kojyuro-sama. Really, it's nothing, I just -"

He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and turned her body, forcing her to look at him, "it is clearly something. Why won't you tell me?"

Kasuga only managed to make choked sobbing sounds. Kojyuro's eyebrows drew back and he pressed his lips more tightly together before drawing her against his chest.

"I would like to know what's bothering you, if you'll tell me," he spoke softly. Kasuga thought that maybe he sounded somewhat guilty.

_'He doesn't think he's the reason for my tears, does he?' _she dropped her head against his shoulder, feeling him tense.

"It's not you," she said quickly; he relaxed, "it's just... it's just me."

"That doesn't really explain anything," he muttered. Kasuga sighed.

"I'm not willing to explain."

"Why not?"

"All right, fine," she pressed her hands to his shoulders and glared at him, "we'll make it a trade. If you tell me what you said before you walked in here, then I'll tell you what I'm thinking about."

Kojyuro's expression faltered, and he released her, sitting back on his calves.

"Never mind."

Kasuga stared at him, _'that's it? He gave up, just like that?'_ she giggled softly and set a hand on his thigh, "what, did you say something so embarrassing?"

A light red skittered over his cheeks but he tightened his jaw, refusing to speak. Kasuga reached up and touched his cheek; the heat surprised her. He flinched away from her touch; she pressed her hand to his cheek again, and received the same reaction.

_'I wonder if... I can bring back the feeling of that night three months ago...' s_he reached for his nervous face again, this time with both hands, her previous thoughts forgotten_, 'or if maybe I can some how convey to you my feelings without outright saying that I've fallen in love with you.'_

Kasuga caught Kojyuro's face in her hands; he tensed, aware that he couldn't flinch out of her hold. She tried pulling his face towards hers but he jerked back, his legs sliding out from under him. He instinctively snapped his arms down to the floor to prevent himself from falling completely over to the right. Kasuga wanted to move her hands to his shoulders, _'only if I do that, he'll retreat. Why does he seem so nervous?'_

She got up onto her knees, watching Kojyuro's green eyes flick down before he met her gaze again. She inched closer, swallowing lightly.

_'At this distance if I'm quick I might just be able to -'_

"Katakura-sama! Katakura-sama!" the loud call made Kasuga gasp, and she yanked her hands away from Kojyuro like he had become a hot kettle. Kojyuro blinked rapidly, then stood after he regained his composure. He approached the door and was about to slide it open when it was jerked roughly to the left, Yoshinao on the other side.

"What is it?"

"There's an army coming this way! We decided to come get you before we make any final assumptions but we're sure that the army is the War God's!"

This news made Kojyuro go rigid; he turned his head slightly to look at Kasuga. She was dazed, her eyes wide.

_'The Uesugi troop...? It can't be... no way... why...'_

"I'll meet you at the gates. Kasuga."

"Ah, hai?" she snapped herself out of her stupor and gave Kojyuro her attention. They stared at each other.

"... stay here," he muttered, quickly leaving the room. Kasuga couldn't take her eyes away from the place where he had been until Bunshichi appeared in her line of sight ten minutes later. He looked nervous, his teeth digging gently into his lower lip.

"Uh, Kasuga-chan... it's the Uesugi army. Hittou and Katakura-sama are talking to Uesugi Kenshin right now and um... he looked kind of frantic..." Bunshichi lowered his head, trying to obscure his eyes, "it sounds like he's looking for you."

Kasuga couldn't breathe for several heartbeats; she gasped loudly only after her lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. Bunshichi jerked his head up.

_'But I don't... he left me there... left me there and then he came and... what _he_ tired to do to me I just can't...' _out loud she requested, "Bunshichi, please close the door."

"I – I'm sorry?" he stuttered, looking at her with wide shocked eyes.

"Close the door. Please, close the door," she repeated, hugging herself. Bunshichi hesitated for a moment, but then did as she asked and stepped back, sliding the door shut. Kasuga brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

Her heart ached. Four months and Kenshin had finally come looking for her? Or was he searching for her those past four months, but went and scrounged around the Owari area for her instead of going to the north?

The words that Kojyuro had said so many months ago came back to her: _"__Then we should first assume that it was his own soldiers who prevented him from returning to find her.__"_

In a way, she didn't want it to be true. After spending four months with the Date army, Kasuga had to admit she had become attached. And she was especially attached to Kojyuro –_ 'no, not just attached. It's like before, when I was supposed to assassinate Uesugi-dono... I've fallen in love all over again. I fell in love with Kojyuro-sama...'_

She'd realized it the most when he had been fixing her back, to the best of his ability. Even if it was only walking, Kasuga was happy to be that much less of a burden.

_'At least he doesn't have to carry me everywhere anymore... though I think he likes having someone who relies on him so much. Like his vegetables,' _she smiled to herself, _'I'm just like one of his vegetables. A living, moving vegetable that loves him and he doesn't know how to deal with such a vegetable.'_

She giggled aloud at her own thought, imagining the possible different vegetables she could be. It would probably be easiest if she were a carrot, or a cucumber. It would be better yet if she could take on the resemblance of a leek. Just as she was beginning to come up with a wonderful idea about how she could dress herself like a leek the door was slammed open. Kasuga jumped, whipping her head to the side to see Kojyuro standing there, body rigid.

"... the War God is here. He wants to see you," his voice was monotone as he said the words. Kasuga looked down at her hands.

_'Uesugi-dono wants to see me... I guess that means I should go... wait, did Kojyuro-sama and Date-dono tell him I've lost the use of my legs?'_

"Did you tell him I lost the use of my legs?" she asked quietly, watching Kojyuro give her a look out of the corner of her eye.

"No, we didn't. Why?"

"Carry me," she said, looking Kojyuro straight in the eye, "carry me to him."

"But, Kasuga, you can walk -"

"_Carry me,__"__ s_he repeated more fiercely, glaring at him. He lowered his arm from it's position against the door and cautiously approached her. He had gone and put all his armor on. Kasuga had expected him to – he was always prepared for anything.

Kojyuro easily picked her up and carried her out the door. They received varying looks of surprise, as the entire Date army knew she could walk again. Kasuga glared at as many soldiers as she could, silently letting them know that they were to say nothing on the matter. When she could see the Uesugi army, she steeled herself.

Kenshin was standing next to Masamune, his expression weary with worry. Upon seeing her his blue eyes lit up, but when he noticed that she was being carried by Kojyuro his brow furrowed. Masamune was also giving Kojyuro a look. At first, Kasuga was worried that Masamune would ruin her lie and tell Kenshin that she could actually walk and had apparently decided to be a spoiled brat. She relaxed only after Masamune nodded his head once; he and Kojyuro were very good at non-verbal communication.

"Kasuga," Kenshin's voice sounded almost foreign on Kasuga's ears, much different in comparison to Kojyuro's low baritone. His voice was so high-pitched.

"Uesugi-dono," she started, refusing to look at him, "as you may have noticed I cannot walk."

Sounds of shock rose up from the army at the gates of Oshuu and Kasuga sneaked a peek at Kenshin; his eyes were wide with shock.

"You... can't walk?" he repeated, his voice betraying his disbelief. Kasuga nodded curtly.

"Why else would Kojyuro-sama be carrying me?" she swallowed when she felt a hard glare on her face. It must have been Naoe, because Kenshin was too shocked to do any glaring.

_'Naoe... of course he would be glaring at me. He's probably noticed how I'm referring to Uesugi-dono already... he's clumsy on the battlefield but he's not stupid.'_

"When Kojyuro found her she had a beam over her lower back," Masamune explained, "we believe that first she was knocked unconscious and then when the building was set on fire a beam collapsed onto her back, paralyzing her from the waist down. There was nothing we could do..."

Kenshin was silent, Naoe whispering in his ear. He lifted his gaze to Kasuga and she forced herself to hold his gaze, her arms tightening around Kojyuro's neck.

_'I don't want to leave Oshuu. That's what I've decided. I want to stay here, by Kojyuro-sama's side.'_

"It's taken us a while to retrieve her, we realize," it was Naoe speaking; Kasuga let her gaze drift to him, "but a day after we returned to Echigo a terrible storm came up. It prevented us from going back to find her. You must have found her shortly after we departed from that place... we returned to the spot to find that the place had been burned to the ground; we almost lost hope. We were approached by a shinobi and given a letter, then led on a wild treasure hunt, which eventually brought us here."

"Four months later?" Kasuga asked bitterly. Naoe frowned at her.

"Yes, four months later. I dare say we've looked all over Japan for you. And about your legs, can you really not walk? You seem to be tensing them quite often -"

"Naoe," Kenshin gave his retainer a look when Naoe glanced at him. He bowed slightly.

"P-pardon me, my lord," Kenshin turned away from Naoe and faced Masamune.

"If you don't mind, Dokuganryuu, I'll be taking her back to Echigo with me. She is my shinobi, after all."

_Kasuga couldn't believe her ears, 'do I get no say in this?'_

Masamune's eye narrowed dangerously, "yeah, except your shinobi can't _be_ a shinobi anymore, or are you more blind then I am, War God?" Masamune argued, jerking his thumb in Kasuga's direction. Kojyuro twitched.

"Masamune-sama, please mind your tongue."

"Ah, gomen, gomen."

"One sorry is enough, Masamune-sama," Kojyuro growled, glaring at his lord. Kasuga was sure that Masamune's attitude wasn't the only thing that irked Kojyuro. Naoe approached, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. Any sane person would be afraid to approach Kojyuro, of that Kasuga was sure. Kasuga looked past Naoe to see that Kenshin and Masamune had engaged in a staring contest.

"I don't intend to just hand her over to you," Kenshin spoke softly.

"She's been here for four damn months, and you left her in that burning building," Masamune narrowed his eye but eventually lowered his gaze, sighing, "fine, you can take her back, but if I see her on the battlefield I'll kill you and bring her here, you see?" he hissed. Kasuga felt her heart clench. It was nice to know that he really did care for her.

"I can see that she really can't fight, Dokuganryuu," Naoe was now carrying Kasuga uncertainly in his arms, "I wouldn't force her to do something like that."

"You better not."

Kasuga held onto Naoe in a dumbfounded state. She was going to be forced to return to Echigo if she didn't speak her mind.

_'A part of me wants to return to Echigo where I've always belonged, but a part of me... a more prominent part of me wants to stay here in Oshuu, stay in Oshuu by Kojyuro-sama's side,' _she bit her lip before she made up her mind and lurched in Naoe's arms, managing to get her torso over his shoulder before he locked his arms around her legs.

"I don't want to go! I want to stay, _I want to stay!__"_she cried, stretching her arm out towards Kojyuro. He stared at her with a mix of shock and wonder in his expression, while all around her the Date army and Uesugi army had gotten into a scuffle. She continued in her struggle to get out of Naoe's arms.

"K-Kasuga-san?" he exclaimed, grabbing her left shoulder as he attempted to keep her from falling. Her back was beginning to hurt the more she struggled. She had to get out of Naoe's grasp, unless she wanted to undo all the hard work Kojyuro had done, just to grant her the ability to walk again.

"Don't make me go!" she screamed, reaching for Kojyuro again. He strode forward quickly, easily wresting Kasuga from Naoe's hold – it hadn't struck Kasuga at how strong Kojyuro was until that moment.

Her lower back throbbed with pain and Kasuga groaned, "m-my back; it hurts, it hurts."

Kojyuro released what sounded like a low gasp before he cradled her in his arms and backed away from Naoe, his eyes scouring Kasuga's face for any show of pain. She leaned her head against his chest, forcing herself to even out her breathing. She was aware that Kojyuro was swiftly moving away from the ruckus that was going on around them, then she was being passed on to someone else.

"Kasuga-chan?" Bunshichi's worried voice made her open her eyes. She felt Bunshichi's hand gently massaging her lower back and the pain eased away. She quickly looked for Kojyuro to see that he was going back towards the Uesugi army.

_'Eh, Date-dono is... holding his sword to __–__ ah!' _she was startled when Kojyuro slammed his fist down against Masamune's wrist, forcing his lord to release the sword. Simultaneously he raised his left hand and held it in front of Kenshin's face.

"War God, I won't let Masamune-sama strike you here, but don't go thinking that I won't," he lowered his hand slightly, revealing Kenshin's scowling face. It wasn't an expression that Kasuga had seen him make very often.

"The Dokuganryuu has already agreed to let her return to Echigo with us."

"Her wishes were never taken into consideration," Kojyuro countered, holding his right arm out as if to restrain Masamune, "she has expressed that she wishes to stay here in Oshuu. Will you disregard that?"

Kasuga couldn't see Kojyuro's expression but she was sure he was glowering. Kenshin took a subtle step back; he looked so tired.

"I have her best interests in mind, Ryuu no Migime."

"Then if you care about her as much as I know you do, you'll let her stay here if that's what she desires. And we, the Date army, have already shown that we're willing to let her return to Echigo should that be her wish."

Kenshin was silent; the armies' stopped their scuffling and backed away from each other, jeering quietly. Masamune had also taken a step back, his sword lying still on the ground between him and Kenshin. Kenshin focused his gaze on Kasuga and approached, his steps uncertain.

When he reached her and Bunshichi, he crouched, "what do you want, Kasuga? Do you want to stay here in Oshuu or come back to Echigo with me?"

Kasuga glanced away; his expression would make her second guess herself if she wasn't careful. When she was prepared to give her answer she forced herself to take on a stoic expression and faced Kenshin again.

"I want to stay in Oshuu."

Kenshin was quiet. He took a deep breath before he replied, "all right. But if I may ask why?"

Kasuga's mouth dropped open; Kojyuro and Masamune were approaching, Masamune sheathing his katana. Kasuga's lips quivered.

"You don't know what he tried to do to me," she whispered. Her words made the men around her look at her with varying expressions. She glanced up at Kojyuro to see that he had narrowed his eyes. Kenshin looked worried.

"He? He who?"

"The one who set the building on fire," Kasuga said, shivering. She looked up again to see that Masamune had taken a step back from Kojyuro; the man looked furious.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about Matsunaga, would you?" Kojyuro inquired through clenched teeth, his eyes hard. Kasuga swallowed and curled up on Bunshichi's lap.

"He's the one..." she screeched when the beam next to where Bunshichi was holding her shattered, lightning crackling in the air. Kojyuro had rammed his left fist against the beam in his fury; his breathing was heavy.

"That _bastard..._" he snarled, straightening before he looked down at Kasuga, "I think there may be something you forgot to tell us about."

As Kenshin took his leave Kasuga nervously nodded her head; this untamed side of Kojyuro scared her.

"H-hai..." Kasuga didn't resist when Kojyuro lifted her out of Bunshichi's arms – though she was sure he would have preferred to throw her over his shoulder and storm off.

_'But since my back started hurting again, he's decided to be nice,'_ Kojyuro set her on her feet when they reached Kojyuro's old room. She slid open the familiar door, shuddering at the feel of Kojyuro's chest against her back, _'does he honestly have to stand so close?' _she flushed, irritated that she was letting his proximity get to her.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Kojyuro demanded as they entered the room; he slid the door shut.

"I couldn't remember it clearly! That's why I didn't say anything..." Kasuga replied, trying not to look Kojyuro in the eyes. He was a very terrifying man when he was angry. He grabbed her jaw in his hand and forced her to look at him.

"Is this the same thing you refused to tell me earlier?" his voice was harsh, his eyes hard. Kasuga slapped his hand away, glaring at him.

"Look, I'm not Date-dono, I'm not going to tell you everything about myself," she narrowed her eyes and hit her fist against the floor, "especially if you don't tell me anything about yourself! I may not be able to do my job as a shinobi but I won't forget what I've been taught. I don't give out information for free..." she scratched the back of her neck, looking to the side.

_'I'm sure I'm forgetting something,'_ she bit her lip, glancing up at Kojyuro. He was silent, his expression betraying no emotion. She glanced at him again, tempted to believe that his eyes were dull with sadness.

"I've already told you quite a bit about myself," he tuned his head to the right, showing her the left side of his face, "or have you forgotten about that?"

Kasuga's eyes widened, _'o-of course. Oh, Kami, I feel like an idiot!'_

"I - I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I didn't forget I just -"

The look he gave her silenced her. She stared into his eyes, aware that, ultimately, she had hurt him by briefly forgetting about that night they shared by the tree. She sat back on her calves, staring at her hands. There was really no way she could redeem herself for this, unless she told him what had happened to her.

"... how badly do you want to know?" she asked quietly, not raising her head. Kojyuro didn't reply for several minutes; Kasuga assumed it was because he was wondering how much he wanted to know about her.

"If you put it that when, then I want to know quite badly."

"Why?" she asked in an even quieter voice. Kojyuro lifted her chin, making her look at him.

"I already told you, didn't I? I'm curious about you... just like you're curious about me. I want to know everything about you," he paused, before a small smile crossed his lips, "I like to know everything about my vegetables, so I can give them the best care I'm capable of giving."

Kojyuro's attempt at a joke made Kasuga giggle, _'is this his way of trying to make me feel comfortable?'_

She lifted her chin off his hand and stared at him for a moment before dropping her head again.

"He... he kept on touching me. But he had to catch me first... he's a really tricky man. He convinced me he was on the opposite side of the room and I didn't realize that he was manipulating me until his arms were already around my waist. I fought back, of course - stabbed a kunai into his shoulder," she shuddered at the memories that followed, "he just laughed and wrenched it out... commenting on how he liked a feisty woman, licking his blood of the weapon and then licking my neck. He was so... I can't really say touchy but..." she bit her lip and rested her hand on her neck, unsure of how to continue. Kojyuro's expression had darkened considerably since the beginning of her story.

"Crafty?" he offered after a while, his voice strained by anger. Kasuga looked at him.

"If I hadn't fought back, I'm sure he would have raped me. But my attempts to get away from him and stay away from him amused him for the most part... the next thing I knew there was an explosion and then I woke up and then you found me," Kasuga hugged her knees to her chest, refusing to look Kojyuro in the eye. She could hear him breathing deeply, as if he were trying to contain some inner rage.

"What did Matsunaga do to you?" she inquired.

"He didn't do anything to me specifically," Kojyuro growled, "had he gotten close enough I would have snapped his neck. He captured some Date soldiers and demanded Masamune-sama's swords in exchange for their lives, along with the Armor of Kai. This was after Azai Nagamasa had been murdered by Akechi," he clenched his fist when he relayed the death of Nagamasa, "Masamune-sama had already had the dishonor of retreating from that battle, and then to have Matsunaga demand his swords... he would have gone, but I refused to let him go with his injury."

He fell silent, glaring at the floor, his hands clenched in tight fists. Kasuga stopped hugging herself and shuffled closer to him, setting her hands on his.

"If you clench your hands too much they'll get cramped, and then you won't be able to look after your vegetables," she murmured, smiling at him when he looked at her. He gazed solemnly at her, and she gave him a nod of encouragement, "how did you get him to stay where he would be safe?"

"... we dueled. I had to knock him out – Masamune-sama is stubborn, and his soldiers are everything to him," Kojyuro sighed, his hands relaxing under hers, "I would say he's still too young to be the best general he can be. He understands a bit better that, no, he can't protect everyone he cares about. I wanted him to feel the true pain of loss, but there was no way he'd let me kill myself while he was present."

Kasuga's heart stopped for a moment, and when it started beating again it thumped painfully in her chest. She closed her hands over his.

"Why would you do something like that! E-even if you want him to understand that kind of pain, you told me yourself that he didn't have the best childhood! To lose someone _that_ important to him, that's just..." she recoiled, pulling away from him, "that's just cruel, Kojyuro-sama."

He didn't hang his head in shame – he simply gazed steadily at her - and Kasuga couldn't really figure out why. He reached towards her but she withdrew, turning her head and hiding her eyes effectively with her bangs – much too long now that she hadn't tended to her hair for four months.

"You really think that is cruel of me, Kasuga? I wanted to help him develop into a strong general while he's still young."

"But killing yourself isn't the only way to do something like that!" she protested, dropping her hands to the floor and leaning forward, glaring at him with a pout on her lips. He frowned.

"Then how else would you propose I teach him, if losing me, his right eye, is not the best way to show him what it _really_ feels like to lose someone he cherishes?"

Kasuga opened her mouth to speak, but when she found her mind blank of a way to counter him, she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"... I would need a longer time to think about that..." she spoke quietly. Kojyuro changed his sitting position and crossed his legs.

"Either that, or you wouldn't be able to give me an answer at all."

She slapped her palm against the floor, "you're just – you're just -!"

"I'm just what?" he frowned. Kasuga inhaled.

"You're just like a stag!" she blurted out, then blushed. Her comparison made no sense with what they were talking about. Kojyuro raised an eyebrow at her, his lips turned down in confusion.

"I'm not sure how me being like a stag contributes to our topic."

"You're stubborn like one!"

"Now you're just being childish," he informed her, crossing his arms over his chest, "clearly you can't argue with me effectively so you're throwing out nonsense."

Kasuga struggled to get back to the topic, but her blood had rushed to her face and her heart was all over the place, a non-stop hammering in her body. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Kojyuro's right hand, jerking it away from his other arm and pressing his large palm against the inner side of her left breast. His eyes widened considerably, his body tensing. Color rose to his cheeks.

"What the hell -"

"Do you feel that? Huh? Do you?" Kasuga demanded, glaring at Kojyuro. He looked between his hand and her face several times, but he stayed silent.

"What_ did_ you say to Date-dono earlier today, hm? I'd like to know," she tightened her hold on his hand, keeping it firmly pressed to the side of her breast. His lips quivered and he easily – _'damn it, why does he have to be so strong?' -_ jerked his hand away from her chest; he turned his head to the side and stared at the wall.

"He... misinterpreted what I said, that's all," his eyes were shifty. Kasuga pressed her hands to his knees and glared at him. Kojyuro's attempt to get away from her caused him to collapse onto his back. Kasuga quickly crawled over him, continuing to glare, _'though I wish I wasn't blushing.'_

"See, you really _are_ like a stag. Incredibly stubborn."

"You keep on comparing me to a stag."

"You keep on comparing me to a vegetable. I think being compared to a stag is better then being compared to a vegetable," she snapped, "now tell me what you said! Or do you want me to guess? Did it have something to do with vegetables?"

His eyes widened briefly and his cheeks turned reddish.

"It had nothing to do with vegetables!" he exclaimed. Kasuga stared at him in surprise; she was sure it wasn't his intention to make it so obvious that it really _did_ have something to do with vegetables.

"Fine, then did it have something to do with human vegetables?"

"W-what! How did you come to that conclusion?" his cheeks were reddening by the second; clearly he was embarrassed.

"Maybe it had something to do with _eating_ vegetables. Did it? Am I right? Hm? Am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" Kasuga felt some triumph rise in her when Kojyuro tightened his jaw instead of responding to her.

"Well?"

"... Masamune-sama tricked me," he mumbled, almost acquiring a pout himself. Kasuga couldn't help laughing at this.

"Date-dono? Tricked _you_, of all people? Maybe that's the more embarrassing part for you then."

"Obviously..." he swallowed and turned his head to the side, refusing to look at her, "he asked me if I was eventually going to eat my 'precious vegetable'. Of course I said yes. It wasn't until I saw his mouth curl up into a sly grin that I realized he was talking about _you._"

"... I thought you were shrewd," Kasuga teased, poking him in the cheek. He had yet to turn the tables and pin her to the floor, or simply sit up and force her off. Kojyuro finally turned his head to look at her, a frown upon his lips.

"It was early morning. I wasn't thinking clearly."

Kasuga pouted, "that's not a good excuse for not being able to figure it out. The last I heard you were a morning person. It's not natural for someone to _suddenly_ not be a morning person. I think that maybe I should punish you," she trailed the back of her hand over his cheek. He didn't flinch away from her but he did tense for a moment. When she swept her hand over his forehead he released a breath from his nose and fixed his eyes on hers.

"Maybe I, the vegetable, should kill herself, as your punishment for lying. Actually, no, I don't like being compared to a vegetable; can't I be something else?"she requested, leaning towards him. Kojyuro stared up at her, his lips parted slightly, "because if I'm going to be a vegetable then you're a gardener."

"Then if I'm a stag, you're an owl with clipped wings. I hope you'll make your nest in my antlers, Kasuga," he whispered, finally raising one of his hands and stroking her cheek. She lowered her head more, until her forehead rested against his.

"I would be more then happy to nest in your antlers, Kojyuro-sama," she licked her lips, slowly blinking her eyes. The two stared at each other for several minutes, their breathing even.

When Kojyuro moved his hand to the back of Kasuga's head, her heart started thumping in her chest again – but he merely ran his fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. Kasuga pressed her forehead harder against his, closing her eyes as well.

_'This... this is pleasant. No, no this is perfect. This is what I've always dreamed of having,'_ she pressed her lips to the left corner of his mouth, finding his lips to be somewhat rough but smoother then she thought they would be. His breathing quickened, his hand stilling in her hair.

Kasuga trailed her lips along his left cheek, until she felt his skin become polished under her sensitive lips. She parted her lips against Kojyuro's scar, feeling his hand fist for a moment in her hair before he relaxed. In response to her affection Kojyuro traced his fingers down her neck, twirling some of her long tail of hair around his hand.

Kasuga opened her eyes to see that his were open as well, and that he was holding her hair against his lips. Kasuga raised her head; neither of them spoke.

The door suddenly slid open and Kasuga stiffened while Kojyuro released her hair. They turned their heads towards the door at the same time to find Masamune standing there staring at them, his mouth open and eye wide with joyful surprise. It wasn't long before his eye started sparkling. He raised a hand and took a step back.

"Oh, sorry. Please excuse me," and with that he closed the door, his scurrying footsteps along the patio accompanied by a triumphant "ha ha!"

Kasuga quickly pushed away from Kojyuro and sat on her calves, staring at her hands as she twisted the fabric of her kosode in them. She glanced up to see that Kojyuro was also sitting again, his eyes fixed on her. She dropped her head, hiding her face with her hair.

"... you're elusive like an owl, too," Kasuga lifted her head to look at Kojyuro and squeaked when his nose skimmed hers; she hadn't realized he had moved closer. He turned her head to the side and pressed his lips to her cheek. She latched her hands onto his shoulders, clenching the fabric over his overcoat in her hands.

When Kojyuro pulled back Kasuga looked at him, her hands clenching again. He swept his hand up and back against her forehead, pushing her bangs away from her face; he pressed his lips to her exposed skin.

"You're not going to chase him?" she asked quietly. Kojyuro coiled his arms around her and held her close to his body.

"No, I'm not going to chase him. He's just being a young brat," he mumbled. Kasuga rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

If it was possible, she would like to stay this way forever.

* * *

(A/N) Hope you liked it~ Hisahide being in it is kind of random but whatever.


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